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Give me a break!

... Someone pulls out in front of me when I'm driving, and then goes 25 mph in the passing lane. Nine out of 10 times the driver is yakking on their cell phone.

Bring on the June 2008 law that will mandate "hands-free" talking... darn it, though, that's not going to stop them talking, just means they'll have to have two hands on the steering wheel. Hmmm.

... Then there are the TV commercials that are obviously targeted at us "over 40" gals, claiming that we'll get great skin, reduce wrinkles, blah, blah, blah, by using this fantastic new moisturizer (that happens to cost oodles of cash). Sure, we can use this wonder cream and look like an air-brushed Penelope Cruz.. but she's in her late 20s! We all looked that good back then. Are we that gullible? If you want the answer to that one, stop by my house and I'll let you have a free sample...

... Why shouldn't I listen to hip-hop music? Just because I was a teenager when The Monkees were at the top of the charts doesn't mean I can't love today's music? Does it?

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The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the views of the Hanford Sentinel

Magenta wrote on Sep 25, 2007 10:00 AM:

" Hip hop isn't really music, you know! Bring me Jim Croce and Jimmy Buffett. The only thing worth listening to today that came out in the last couple years is Jack Johnson. Kids today are really being ruined by Britney and her ilk, and those yelling people with big chains; I don't know what they're called. Good thing I don't have kids because I wouldn't want to hear them whining about having to listen to real music and not what their friends have! "

Jackie K. wrote on Sep 25, 2007 10:15 AM:

" Aw, Magenta, sorry to hear you don't like my taste in music. What I love about hip-hop -- not hard-core rap -- is the rhythm. Listen and you'll hear an up-beat, and then a down-beat. It makes you want to get up and move. Must be all those years of teaching aerobics! I agree, tho, I don't like hard-core rap, especially with "lyrics" about slapping their girlfriend or asking "do ya feel me?" I seem to go through phases every few years. There was my country phase, my folk phase, and now my pop phase. BTW, who's Jack Jackson? Haven't heard of him. "

Mag wrote on Sep 25, 2007 11:41 AM:

" Jack Johnson is sold out in most stores! He's a great modern songwriter that still sounds like the old songwriters. In Between Dreams is so fun to listen to; it's yellow with a big tree on it. He also did the soundtrack to Curious George. Seems like wherever I go lately, I hear it blasting from someone's car, and I can't help but start to sing along! He was originally from Hawaii so he has some island-feel in some songs. "

I love Jack Johnson wrote on Sep 25, 2007 12:55 PM:

" Im 19 And i Have Been Listining to Jack For About 6 Years i love him. his Music Is some of the best i have ever heard. Jackie you should really listin to him. look him up on the internet! "

Weighing on Jack Johnson wrote on Sep 25, 2007 1:26 PM:

" He's not bad on the eyes Jackie. Former surfer with a sponsorship with Quicksilver. Hmmm... download a tune or 3 on your mp3. ~~~ mmm nice. "

Jackie K. wrote on Sep 25, 2007 3:51 PM:

" You mean he's better than Justin Timberlake??? Just kidding... well, not really. I was able to listen to a track online -- he sounds acoustic and melodic. Not sure I'm in that mood right now. I'll go to iTunes when I'm home and try a track. Might even add him to my iPod! And yes, I hate to say it, but I actually liked Britney Spears' music... before she got married, had kids, and went off the deep end. Now the thought of her gyrating her hips in sequins, with Baby 1 and Baby 2 backstage just feels weird, LOL! "

Weighing on Jack Johnson wrote on Sep 25, 2007 7:35 PM:

" If you like Lyle Lovett, John Prine, John Mayer & Jimmy B., similar genre. Jack Johnson is much more handsome, (exception Mayer). So this cell phone thing, getting back to your original kvetch. It amazes me that some drivers are so preoccupied with text-ting (not certain of the spelling), phone calls and downloading music they forget that I'm cruising with my child in the auto, the most precious cargo I have. Driving while talking, backing out of stalls, changing lanes, etc. People, if you are guilty of this activity, the call can wait. In closing, please make certain the call is necessary, not "what do you need for dinner" or "what are you gonna wear tonight?". Those calls can wait. Me and mine depend on your complete concentration when operating that flying 1 ton piece of metal. You want to get there safe as do I. Thanks for the forum. "

Missed the Point wrote on Sep 26, 2007 3:50 PM:

" I think some missed the point, it's not your listening pleasure that many of us take offense to, it's using the cell phone to block your train of thought while driving, then transferring your lack of road control to others who have to drive defensively so that you can "maintain your call". If you want my opinion, listen to whatever music you want but make your phone calls after you've turned off your ignition and this isn't a teenage problem - it's universal to all age groups. Each are dangerous if concentrating on cell phones rather than the rules of the road and those who are on the road with you. I for one, think that cellular phones are for emergencies and I think it's comical that you all have made cellular companies rich because absolutely no one can wait to use a phone at the proper time. Wonder how many "family conversations" in a car have been interrupted so Mom, Dad or whoever could take a call. Hearing a conversation in a restaurant or private place, I find hilarious. I find my families conversation much more important . "

Captain C wrote on Sep 26, 2007 5:17 PM:

" Here is another great band that actually has played with Jack J....G. Love and the Special Sauce. They are from Philly and have a great sound! Check it out! "

I always wanted a voice-activated readerboard. wrote on Sep 26, 2007 8:37 PM:

" I sure wish Ma Bell was around to ask these about hard ethical questions. Operator; well could you help me place this call?Talk about RudeGirl tactics.The best thing would be "squelch areas" or GPS activated disconnect zones that pin-point at cell phones of non-emergency citizens in moving vehicle.The zones could squelch the drivers connection and cause them to have to hang up. Rude devices against rude cellphoneUSING driving fools.Then how about the always popular VOID zone that would lock out singles in areas of high traffic to allievate any unsafe situations to the public.Cell phones and text messaging would not only be non-operational and could only connect when the vehicle is stopped.This GPS technology is available and can be implemented during peak traffic hours. Bet that would make drivers cry. What did we ever do before the cell phone was invented?Must we always be connected to America's most reliable wireless network or even have to always reach out and touch someone?...that sounds so dated,Operator, well let's forget about this call--There's no one there I really wanted to talk to.Thank you for your time, and, you've been so much more than kind.And you can keep the dime. "

Alan G. wrote on Sep 27, 2007 9:33 AM:

" Three words: Cell Phone Jammer. Yes, they exist. Yes, they're illegal. Yes, they will provide hours and hours of entertainment. And they fit nicely in your pocket too! No more listening to annoying teens in the movie theater. No more listening to Miss annoying girl in line at the bank or grocery store as she blathers on about the drama in her relationship. They work best in enclosed spaces, but will also disconnect phones in other cars if you're close enough. You simply flip the switch and it disconnects their call and then you flip the switch off, so no need to worry about preventing emergency phone calls. Many churches, restaurants and movie theaters use them in foreign countries. I'm placing an order for mine through a company in the UK. "

Captain C wrote on Sep 27, 2007 1:54 PM:

" So Alan, what happens if you are in a room and maybe some teenager is on their phone and you think it is annoying so you jam the call. What if that person was talking with a friend that is informing them of an emergency, like maybe a family member was in an accident. I know the situation may be rare, but what would you do in that case? If you did know what you did, would you apologize and go about your day? Sometimes things around me annoy me, but I am no expert on public behavior to determine what is appropriate or not, let alone to underhandedly restrict people from their given rights. I personally do use my cellphone. It is probably mostly business, but I do use it in public. I would hate for someone to take my rights and jam them just because they are annoyed. "

Fed Up wrote on Sep 27, 2007 2:33 PM:

" Oh let me rant, nothing irks me more than cell phones and drivers - unless that is MALE drivers and cell phones. Yes, I'm going to make a sexist remark but it's a truthful remark. Women have been juggling items in both hands for eons...babies, diaper bags, groceries, luggage, etc. While driving we've applied makeup, smacked rotten kids, picked up dropped pens and pencils from the floorboard - you name it and we've done it while driving. The novel task of driving and talking on the phone is new to men and it shows. If one more farmer in a mud splattered truck cuts me off while on a cell phone, well let's just say it's a good thing I don't own a Humvee with a missel launcher attached! Men, get some experience before attempting to do more than one thing at a time. Thank you very much - rant is over. "

Alan G. wrote on Sep 27, 2007 2:53 PM:

" Hey "Captain C", first of all welcome to the blogs. It's nice to see new people with monikers. As to your question, I think most of us are pretty good judges of what constitutes an annoying cell phone user and I gave a couple of examples in my previous post. It's not a tool I'll be using indiscriminately, only for the greater good. I promise that if I hear a conversation along the lines of "OH MY GOD, UNCLE FRED WAS IN AN ACCIDENT???" I won't use it. However, if I hear 15 year-old Heather in the movie theater saying "OH MY GOD, Tommy is so CUTE! He was all like 'hey" and I was like 'hey' and he was like 'so what are you doing right now?' and I was like 'nothing' and he's like 'why don't we hook up?' and I'm like "I can't get out because I'm so grounded, God I hate my parents!" Guess what? Heather's getting squelched. "

Jackie K. wrote on Sep 27, 2007 4:18 PM:

" OMG, Alan G., you had me in stitches reading your last comment! I didn't know you spoke Valley Girl!? I'm with you. I've even gotten up and told girls to get off their cell phones at the movies. That's one reason I prefer to wait for the DVD. "

Jackie K. wrote on Sep 27, 2007 4:19 PM:

" Fed Up, I can't believe we actually agree on something! Keep 'em coming. "

NOT SO COOL wrote on Sep 28, 2007 1:59 AM:

" Alan G, what are you saying? You said " It's not a tool I'll be using indiscriminately, only for the greater good. I promise that if I hear a conversation along the lines of "OH MY GOD, UNCLE FRED WAS IN AN ACCIDENT???" I won't use it. #1. You advocate your buying and then using an 'illegal' cell phone jammer and then #2. you admit to eavesdropping on the private phone calls of others. Of course it a joke, right? Certainly, if I were making light a subject in a blog, I would make sure that the readers know it's all in jest. Some, however, might not know your humor. Apparently Jackie K. does. Not so funny, my man! "

Alan G. wrote on Sep 28, 2007 10:09 AM:

" Hmmmmm, perhaps we'll just speak about cell phone jammers from a hypothetical "If I did it" scenario. Possessing an "illegal" device would be wroooong. By the way, eavesdropping is a deliberate act that requires selective hearing. Standing in line at the bank and hearing "annoying producer guy" yelling "YOU TELL THAT S.O.B. THAT IF THIS DEAL DOESN'T HAPPEN, HE'LL NEVER WORK IN THIS TOWN AGAIN!!!" is kind of hard to avoid and would not be considered eavesdropping. I'm just sayin'... (((ZAP!))) "

Mag wrote on Sep 28, 2007 11:01 AM:

" to Not so cool- will you please take a chill pill?! You're taking this wayyyy too seriously. Of course we know how to discriminate between a stupid, unnecessary call and an important one. Give me more Croce lyrics, Readerboard! Love it! "

to magenta wrote on Sep 28, 2007 11:44 AM:

" HIP HOP IS MUSIC, JUST BCUZ UR LAME AND DNT LIKE IT, DNT TRASH IT!. AND THANK GOD YOU DNT HAVE KIDS BCUZ THEY WOULD BE STUBERN LIKE U! AND WHO IS JACK JOHNSON AND JIM CROCE AND JIMMY BUFFETT??? "

Fed Up wrote on Sep 28, 2007 12:33 PM:

" to "Not So Cool" - are you for real? Eavesdropping on a private conversation - do you know what constitutes a private conversation - let me clue you in. That's where you're in YOUR livingroom or any other PRIVATE area not being visited by other members of the PUBLIC. When someone is blabbering away about that SOB they work with or the mega SOB they live with and it's in a restaurant, grocery store, the movies, a department store, are your getting the idea? These areas are not private and therefore any communication is not private and those subjected to hearing it are not eavesdropping. I take from your comment that you are probably of the younger generation who fees your right to express yourself in any manner at any time over rides all rules of consideration. Personally, I'd love nothing better than for jammers to be installed in most public areas. If you really need to make a call, step outside which is what you should be doing now! "

Alan G. wrote on Sep 28, 2007 3:19 PM:

" To the person who responded "To Magenta" about hip hop music,I have just one question? Did you text that? "

NOT SO COOL wrote on Sep 28, 2007 7:31 PM:

" Sounds like you and Alan G. are of like minds. Methinks both of you doth protest too much! "

Magenta,thanks for the Holla! wrote on Sep 29, 2007 8:53 AM:

" Can you hear me now? YOU LIKE ME, YOU REALLY LIKE ME! ; ) WE children of the '70's really had it going on! As for the Hip-Hop, Sorry, we were the culprits for that musical genre...it was the end of that decade and in 1979, we opened the door to, A hip hop the hippie the hippie to the hip hip hop, a you don't stop the rock it to the bang bang boogie say up jumped the boogie to the rhythm of the boogie, the beat. YEAH we'd chanted those lyrics all so long ago...my thirty year high school class reunion is next year. Oh course, who would have thought that 10 years later, in 1989, I hear that song playing smooth (no lyrics) over head in a doctors office on that ever SO funny...but popular elevator style MUZAK system many businesses used to subscribe to back in the day. Don't get me wrong I still love singer-songwriters to this day...they are the modern day poets of our time and can fill and fuel our hearts with a time gone by. You know my cell phone has an MP3! "

FYI wrote on Oct 3, 2007 6:05 PM:

" Hip Hop is a GENRE of music, whether you like it or not;therefore, it IS music. FYI, Britney Spears is actually a POP artist, not hip hop, Many people criticize hip hop because they are closed minded and only view it as being "gangster rap" when it is far much more. Stop catagorizing hip hop as awful profanity and violence influential music and do your research to see that its an art form where people can express themselves in many different ways. There are different types of hip hop artist, religious ones as well. "

dear give me a break wrote on Oct 3, 2007 6:07 PM:

" stop complaining and start looking for the good in things. you're negativity annoys me. "

LATE NIGHT OWL wrote on Oct 3, 2007 7:21 PM:

" I do have a question. I really am not into music very much, but a have a serious and hopefully non-threatening question. OK, I believe that hip-hop is a genre, but could someone please define or describe it in meaningful words and perhaps also its cultural and ‘fun' value? I have never seen it described intelligently. Thanks! "

Cell phone is recharging...Hello Late Night wrote on Oct 4, 2007 2:36 AM:

" If your not into music MUCH, why would you need an intelligent definition of a genre of music that is a combination of many different genre's? As baby's we were either exposed to beats or never introduced to any music. Hip-Hop is always ever changing...incoroprating and evolving. It's varietal beats, tempo's with deep African influences...like most rock and roll is always fresh and captures the ear of YOUTHS in its translations of rythms, messages and sounds which is not geared toward the older generations ear. You either get it or YOU don't...an effect of anti-intellectualism which hip-hop sometimes loves to use as a force. Did you know that in 1999 alone, 81 million rap albums were sold? Don't try to understand a style of music that is not geared toward your make up as a human, it's counter productive as their is a school of science that lends itself to music as a brain response to "semantic priming." Priming occurs when we are exposed to music. As a adult, my era the 70's I enjoyed the lyrics and beat of Hip Hop. At 48, I love music&still like music with hard driving beats. "

Schmalan Gee. wrote on Oct 4, 2007 4:52 PM:

" Hey Jackie, more power to you and your musical choices. Our musical tastes don't have to stop evolving after our teen years. I'm still discovering new bands, although I have to admit I've been listening to a lot of late '70's / early 80's Brit punk lately. And in regards to bad drivers and cell phones, I can neither confirm nor deny that cell phone jammers WILL drop calls from other cars in traffic. The reason I can't confirm or deny is because possessing one is illegal and that would be wrong. I think I read it somewhere. "

to Jackie K. wrote on Oct 8, 2007 6:29 PM:

" Hey, listen to hip-hop or whatever you like... What I dont like is when I'm at a sgnal light on a motorcycle, and the car beside me has whatever on, and I cannot hear my engine over THEIR radio (sometimes TWO lanes away) ... Thats too LOUD! You can listen to whatver you want, I am annoyed and offended when YOUR taste in music is forced down MY throat! "

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